June, 2018

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The Complete Guide to Setting Up a Robust Membership Model

Wild Apricot

We created this guide for any organization looking to implement a membership model. Over the past decade, we’ve helped thousands of membership organizations successfully set up and grow their members. This guide contains everything we’ve learned. If.

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Stop Playing Defense with Your Online Community ROI

Higher Logic

When it comes to online communities, the best offense is not a good defense. Why? Because playing defense might protect you, but it won’t grow your community. The truth is that online communities are doing well (really well). Last year alone, communities generated a 2,374% increase in return on investment (ROI), according to the State of Community Management 2018 Report.

Resources 136
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How to Prioritize Your Culture Work

Jamie Notter

At the end of one of the phases of our culture consulting , we help clients create a “ Culture Playbook.” It’s basically a list of things they will do inside their organization to either change or protect specific aspects of their culture, in order to ensure ongoing success. The Culture Teams we are working with usually create an initial list of about 50 different plays, which cover a huge range of activities in terms of both level of effort and level of impact.

How To 137
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6 tips to boost your association membership through events.

YourMembership

Your members-only events offer a powerful membership benefit. At the same time, hosting events open to non-members are just as powerful for increasing your association’s membership. Think about it: What better way to showcase your association’s value to prospective members than by inviting them to meet your members and experience your association’s value up close?

Tips 271
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2024 State of Customer Education Report

Customer education has become a key driver for growth, retention, and product adoption. Our latest 2024 State of Customer Education Report uncovers critical data and insights from a survey of over 200 industry leaders, offering a look at the evolving role of education in driving business success. Inside, you'll find data on key trends and strategies, including: Strategies for Scaling & Customization: Find out which investments in learning technology deliver the biggest ROI and scalability.

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Membership 101: Who Counts?

Spark Consulting

Who do you consider to be your members? That seems like an easy question: “Anyone whose dues are current,” right? But if you dig a little deeper, it quickly gets a lot more complicated. Do you offer a grace period? Are there ways to pay other than money? What about the people in your profession or industry who haven’t paid? What about the people who support those in your profession or industry?

More Trending

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28 Facebook Groups Every Nonprofit Professional Needs to Join

Wild Apricot

I’ve found that nonprofit Facebook Groups are a great way to network with members of other nonprofits. They can also help answer those sticky questions that you just can’t Google the answer to. That’s why I’ve created this list of the top 28 nonprofit Facebook Groups, so you know where to go.

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The Association?s Pursuit for Relevance: What Role Do Certifications, Certificates and Micro-Credentials Play?

Blue Sky eLearn

As has been discussed at length, for a number of years – the viability of associations is under attack and the relevance of many associations is in question. Although that may be the headline, I believe the real issue at hand is the fact that many associations have yet to evolve with the Digital Age and adapt their value proposition. Allow me to draw a comparative line.

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You Could Just Set It and Forget It with Marketing Automation…But Don’t!

Higher Logic

If you are under the impression that “set it and forget it” is a successful strategy for using marketing automation software, I release you from this spell. People will say one of the benefits of marketing automation software is that you can simply put the software in action and then let your automated campaigns go their merry way. But just because you have the ability to set your automation rules and then forget about them doesn’t mean this type of strategy will be the most effective.

Marketing 159
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How to deliver the right in-person learning experience online.

YourMembership

Today, in-person courses and multi-day conferences are the top two leading learning formats for association members, according to our 2017 Member Professional Development Study. Trailing slightly behind is online learning and webinars, with online taking the number two spot for Millennial learners. Considering today’s learner consumption habits, how can you offer your members the learning.

How To 257
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The Power of Community: Why a Branded Community is a Must-Have for Every Association

Ever wonder why brands like Apple, LEGO, and Sephora are going all-in on branded communities? It’s because online community building is the secret sauce to connecting with audiences in ways that ads and emails simply can’t. But here's the best part—it’s not just for big corporations. Associations can create thriving online communities too. GrowthZone’s eBook, "The Power of Community," breaks down exactly why a branded online community can be a game-changer for your association.

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Membership 101: The Role of Volunteerism

Spark Consulting

“Engaged members renew. Disengaged members don’t.” If you’ve been around the association industry for more than a few minutes, you’ve undoubtedly heard at least one membership professional say that. Volunteerism is a MAJOR opportunity for engagement. But as we’ve discussed continually throughout this Membership 101 series, engagement, like brand, is defined by your audiences, not by you.

Committee 186
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How to Develop Really Good LMS Requirements

WBT Systems

The request for proposal you send to learning management system (LMS) providers is only as good as the process you use to develop your LMS requirements. If you don’t accurately and completely identify and prioritize your real needs during that process, your new LMS will fall short of expectations. Before you even think about creating a request for proposal (RFP), you must spend time on the LMS requirements gathering and analysis process.

LMS 166
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3 Nonprofit Hashtag Strategies That Actually Get Followers, Raise Money, and Spread Awareness

Wild Apricot

In this post I’m going to show you some of the most effective uses of hashtag campaigns I’ve seen, and how to find the best hashtags for your audience.

Strategy 394
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Best Practices for Selecting an LMS

Blue Sky eLearn

Selecting an LMS is a big decision. Check out our best practices for when you make your decision! Selecting an LMS is a big decision. There’s the financial aspect. The time you’ll put into implementing the platform – adding courses, creating content. The more technical aspects – integrating with other systems, setting up eCommerce. It’s not a decision taken lightly.

LMS 157
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Boost Sponsorship, Exhibit, and Ad Revenue

Sales often gets a bad rep. Yet, if securing sponsors, advertisers, and exhibitors is part of your role, it’s essential. But what if it didn’t have to feel time-consuming, uncomfortable, or worse—icky? Join us for the 3-part virtual Sales Accelerator Labs , where customer experience and sales expert Carrie McIntyre will show you strategies to make sales easier, more effective, and dare we say, enjoyable!

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What Do Vanity Metrics Have to Do with Marketing Automation Goals?

Higher Logic

Higher Logic recently released our 2018 State of Marketing Automation: Association Benchmark Report. When I got a chance to pore over the results, I saw a lot of fascinating responses from the survey portion of the report. We asked about all sorts of things, like how they used marketing automation and what their goals and successes were. We also asked about any challenges they were facing.

Marketing 149
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Your online community checklist to easy member engagement

YourMembership

Is there anything more satisfying than crossing off an item on your to-do list? Whether you color-code your checklist, or you’ve ditched paper for an electronic checklist, many would say, “No, there isn’t anything more satisfying.” There are many different types of checklists – chores, vacations, dating. Then, there’s our work checklists. You probably have.

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Voices and Views: June

Aaron Wolowiec

Event Garde is committed to professional development, for ourselves and for our industry. As such, we’re avid readers of industry news. We’d like to share these must-reads with you.

Industry 153
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How Technology Partners Help Associations Comply with GDPR

WBT Systems

Time’s up! GDPR—the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation—went into effect on May 25, 2018. Since the EU approved GDPR on April 14, 2016, association technology firms have had lots of time to prepare for GDPR. In this post, we describe what your technology providers should do to help your association comply with GDPR. We also provide tips on some of the things staff should do to help their associations comply with GDPR—just in case you haven’t done them already.

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Recognition Powers High-Performance — If You Do it Right

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg

Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.

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The Complete Guide to Running a Successful Membership Drive (+10 Proven Ideas to Get More Members)

Wild Apricot

Here are 10 real-life examples of organizations (both small and large) that held very successful membership drives, gaining anywhere from 5 to 200 new members, plus advice on how to set your goal, budget, strategy, and more.

Examples 355
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Going Where There Are No Podiums

Eric Lanke

Not too long ago I wrote a post about Getting Out From Behind the Podium when giving a talk at my association's Annual Conference. For the first time in a decade, as I describe in that post, I got out from behind the podium and walked the stage while delivering my speech, like many of the professional speakers that we hire do. Last week I had another speaking opportunity.

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[ROUNDUP] 2018 State of Marketing Automation: Association Benchmark Report

Higher Logic

British author James Burke once said, “You can only know where you're going if you know where you've been.” Here at Higher Logic, we’ve been working hard to analyze how associations have approached marketing automation in the past and how current strategies are evolving in an effort to best utilize new opportunities for improved efficiency and growth.

Report 149
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Is your association missing an event microsite?

YourMembership

As an association professional, you look for ways to more effectively communicate the value of your organization’s events. Of course, the actual value comes from the overall experience you create for your attendees: The content, the quality of speakers and presenters, and the social and networking opportunities. But, how do you convey the value of. The post Is your association missing an event microsite?

Course 230
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Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.

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For-Profit Leaders can Learn from Non-Profit Leaders

World Class Boards

There’s a perception among some that association/non-profit CEOs are less sophisticated than their corporate sector counterparts because they aren’t as highly paid. The belief is rooted in the idea that the true rock stars only go for the big bucks. I believe the opposite is true. Effective association/nonprofit leaders must practice leadership in its truest sense to succeed, while for-profit leaders can get away poor leadership and be successful in spite of it.

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Tips on Attracting Millennials to Your Professional Association

Blue Sky eLearn

Millennials are the most abundant generation in today’s workforce yet represent the smallest percentage in most professional associations. As I was conducting my research as to why this was the case, I noticed several glaring statistics that should be taken into account when developing and executing a membership development program. Social Responsibility : 80% of millennials will more likely use products/services from a company that supports a cause they care about, but 75% of millennials will d

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5 Best Practices to Promote Your Event on Facebook and Boost Registrations

Wild Apricot

Are fewer people attending your events these days? Are you hoping to dramatically increase attendance at your big conference this year? Rather than relying solely on email blasts, word-of-mouth, and social media posts, here's how to use Facebook ads to increase event attendance.

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The Three Things That Matter in Our Performance Evaluations

Eric Lanke

I don't know when was the last time I've written about performance evaluations on this blog -- or indeed if I have ever written about performance evaluations on this blog before -- but they've been on my mind this week. With the close of our fiscal year, we're entering performance evaluation season at my organization. I believe in regular feedback, and I'd like to think that my organization engages in it throughout the year, but we still have a once-a-year, formal sit-down conversation where an

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Best Practices to Streamline Compensation Management: A Foundation for Growth

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

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Will Microsoft’s Xbox Customer Support Program Built on Volunteer Power Work?

Higher Logic

Can you have a successful customer support community built solely on volunteering? That’s the hypothesis Microsoft seems to be testing with its recent decisions for Xbox customer support. Xbox Ambassadors are Xbox users who volunteer to help other users with their gaming issues. A news source recently reported that Microsoft has laid off twelve of its contracted Xbox customer support staff and is replacing them with these volunteers, supposedly in a cost-cutting measure.

Cost 120
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On the roadmap again with YourMembership

YourMembership

With the recent completion of the YourMembership (YM) association management software (AMS) migration to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) environment, we’re back to a normal YM software development and release rhythm. So, we’re excited to share some updates and new features we will introduce during the next several months. Here we go. Going to GDPR. The post On the roadmap again with YourMembership appeared first on YourMembership.

Software 210
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And the Winner is … Your Organization

Virtual

The Oscars. The Nobel Prize. The Palme d’Or. The Man Booker Prize. The Pulitzer Prize. The world is captivated by the bestowing of awards for achievement. Whether we’re motivated by the appreciation of excellence or the wagers and debates these events often generate, we do pay attention to awards, as the 32.9 million people who. View Article. The post And the Winner is … Your Organization appeared first on Professional Association Management Company | Virtual Inc.